Oregon Birding Trails

Oregon birding trails (edited by John Ame)

Scattered across North America like individual strings of pearls are birding trails. Some are completed; others are in development; still others are simply in the idea-phase. These trails, covering expanses of roadway across many miles, offer birders, naturalists, and general eco-tourists grand opportunities to explore diverse habitats near home and in distant places. Birding and nature trails are essentially driving-routes linking prime birding locations. The growth of birding trails combines Americans' love of the automobile with the increasing interest in birds, creating access and opportunities. Birding trails, in the words of Bill Shepard (from an article that appeared in the October 2001 issue of Birding) create "gateways to conservation and adventure".

In Oregon, the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail is the first of several birding trails designed to showcase the region's birds and spectacular scenery.A trail for the Willamette Valley is in the planning stages and trails are also being developed in the Coast Range, the Basin and Range, and the Klamath Basin.